Around The World: April 12

04/12/12

Written by: DHawes22 / avg. rating: 4.0

April 12

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Trail Blazers 118, Warriors 110

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Jamal Crawford Post-Game Interview

Trailblazers.tv: Video: Hickson Starts It Off Right

Trail Blazers: Portland Wins Shootout Against Golden State
"I just felt comfortable. It’s unfortunate the season is winding down and I’m feeling more comfortable," Crawford said. "I envisioned more nights like this when I first came here but everything happens for a reason and better late than never."

Trail Blazers: Wings Come To Play When LA Is Away
“I knew coming into the game we were missing our top player LaMarcus, that everybody had to step their game up,” Crawford said. “LA’s our All Star, our franchise player – unquestioned. He’s done so much already in the season, we just want to see him get healthy. But for now, everybody has to step up. Even though I had a big scoring game, it’s never about me. It’s about our team. Ray quarterbacked us. Wesley hit some big shots. Przy had some crucial rebounds. JJ was great. Everybody that came in played a part in this. You win as a team and you lose as a team.”

Trail Blazers: In Portland, Green Week Works
"Since I came to Portland I've realized it's very clean, littering is not allowed," said Nolan Smith. "The fine is probably ten times bigger than it is in DC. People out here, they really love their environment. They take care of it. I've definitely seen that from Day One."

Trail Blazers: Dine At The Nines With Canales, Batum, And Thabeet
"We have a chance to live a good life because of our profession. We play basketball, we play it well and we have a chance to do the things we want to do," said Batum. "A lot of people in the world, they don't have that chance. They can't do what they want; they have to do something else. Sometimes they have no jobs at all. It's big for us, giving back, because we have a chance to help people reach their dreams."

Trail Blazers: Trail Blazers and Corix Unveil ‘Living Wall’ At Rose Garden
“The Trail Blazers recognize the power of utilizing sports to engage a fan base and change fan behavior when it comes to the environment,’ said Portland Trail Blazers Chief Operating Officer Sarah Mensah. “The Corix Living Wall furthers our sustainability efforts because of its visibility to the public. A lot of the work we’ve done is behind the scenes. Now, thanks to a great partnership with Corix and the city, we’re able to pr

Oregon Live: Blazers Insider: Hits just keep on coming for Blazers
"Allen has expressed an interest in hiring an experienced general manager. At this rate, he may have found that experience in Buchanan, who is preparing for his second draft and third free agency period as the main guy. I know few, if any, in the Blazers' offices would complain. Buchanan is very well-liked, has no ego and carries an unflappable demeanor. I disagree with his decision to trade Andre Miller and Rudy Fernandez for Felton, and I question in last year's draft whether Kenneth Faried wouldn't have been a better pick at No.21 than Nolan Smith. But he has created financial flexibility for the team to operate this summer."

Oregon Live: Portland 118, Golden State 110: Jamal Crawford scores season-high 34 points in entertaining win
"Meanwhile, Hickson -- starting for the injured Aldridge -- continued his strong late-season audition for an offseason contract. He seemed to be all over the arena floor, blocking Golden State layup attempts, finishing alley-oop lobs and generally wreaking havoc en route to 23 points and 13 rebounds. In 12 games with the Blazers, Hickson, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, is averaging 14.1 points and 7.2 rebounds."

Oregon Live: Blazers-Warriors: J.J. Hickson continues to make a powerful case for a long-term future in Portland
“Nah, I’m just playing hard and preparing to play the way I play,” he said after the win. “And that’s to get in the paint and get offensive and defensive rebounds, run the floor, pick-and-roll and getting dunks, and when I get the ball, take my time, read the defense and see what I have. If they don’t come double, just go to work and try to score the ball.”

Columbian: Blazers won’t say much about Aldridge
"Asked Wednesday if surgery was an option, Buchan responded: “We’re not going to close the door on anything at this point.”

Columbian: Blazers wake up to beat Warriors
"We prepare for every game the same way," Hickson said. "We're going to take it one game at a time, but hopefully some of these teams in front of us slip up."

Portland Tribune: Crawford smokin', Hickson crashin' for Blazers
“That’s the type of player Jamal is,” teammate Wesley Matthews said. “He’s a scorer. If he sees one or two (shots) go in, he can rattle off six, seven, eight straight. He got it going.”

Portland Tribune: A new game plan as the Blazers rebuild
"It would be great to have it completed well before the (June 28) draft," Miller says. "The challenge there is, if there are people we want to talk to who are currently with other teams, we have to get permission from those teams (for an interview)."

Portland Tribune: Flynn, Thabeet yet to make an impact with Trail Blazers
“To sit out a whole season basically before coming here and coming here and playing, I think I got acclimated pretty well,” he says. “The guys in this locker room really helped me get comfortable quick. So I think when I've been out there on the court, I've played pretty well.”

Rip City Project: Game 59 Recap: Blazers 118, Warriors 110
“I think on this team I’m the only one who has to guard five positions,” Nic said, laughing. “I’ve got to guard one through five, I’ve got to know everybody.” That knowing everybody means knowing what David Lee is going to do when he catches the ball in the post, and that RJ looks to shoot threes, and that Nate Robinson might be under six-feet tall but he’s going to attack the rim with enough reckless abandon for four Nate Robinson sized people."

Blazersedge: Media Row Report: Blazers 118, Warriors 110
"I honestly think I shoot it when they least expect it," he said. "They're like, 'Oh wow, he's really about to shoot that.' By that time, I'm already following through. You have to know that their body control can be used against them. Their momentum, they're leaning forward a little bit, so you're like, 'If I shoot it now, he has to react to it and more than likely he will probably foul me.'"

Ball Don't Lie: Chris Paul hits game-winning layup to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder (VIDEO)
"Once at the rim, Paul twisted to his right and lofted a layup just over the outstretched arm of prime shot-blocker Serge Ibaka that bounced home, giving the Clips a two-point lead with 8.8 seconds remaining. A Kevin Durant 3-pointer in the closing seconds found no purchase, and L.A. escaped with a 100-98 victory that helped them keep pace in the tightly bunched middle class of the Western Conference playoff race."

Ball Don't Lie: Chris Duhon has been banished in Orlando, amid reports of missed practices
"Duhon? His poor play this season could only be described as "typical," at this point. Leaned on for veteran, Duke-studied guidance at outposts in Chicago and New York prior to his time in Orlando, Duhon hasn't posted an average Player Efficiency Rating in his seven-year NBA career, and he's managed a single-digit PER (for our newer listeners, this is really, really bad) in both seasons with the Magic. There are rumors that his off-court habits could be contributing to his sluggish play, and with starting point guard Jameer Nelson often struggling to consistently contribute, Van Gundy deservedly is taking on whatever he can grab at the backup point guard slot."

Ball Don't Lie: Blake Griffin dunked on Serge Ibaka very hard (VIDEO)
"As great as Griffin's dunk was, though, he didn't execute it on OKC's best shot-blocker — that would be Serge Ibaka, who you might remember from his two double-digit block games this year (one highlight clip here). As if to make up for that hole in his resume, Griffin dunked all over Ibaka midway through the third quarter on Wednesday night, taking the pass from Chris Paul and throwing it in over the defender. Add one more name to Griffin's list of victims. (Pau Gasol, of course, was the most grisly incident.)"

Ball Don't Lie: Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen think Olympians should be paid
"There's a certain selfishness to this view, particularly in the context of amateur athletes in other sports who devote their entire lives to training and expect little in return beyond a few weeks of fame and some minor endorsements. NBA players have different lifestyles, but it's hard to imagine the U.S. Olympic Committee paying them and not everyone else involved in competition. Even if their time is technically deemed to be worth more by every market in the world, that doesn't mean they should be paid in this particular instance."

The Basketball Jones: Skipping Jamal Crawford has serious meme potential
"Look, I am not trying to be Reddit.com/tbj here, but I’m just saying that if Ridiculously Photogenic Guy can become a meme — literally the worst meme, but still a meme — then Jamal Crawford skipping down the court can definitely become a meme. You know this is true."

DIME: Daily Fantasy Basketball Diagnosis: 4.12
"Monta Ellis finished his big night with 35 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and three three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor and 80 percent (4-5) from the free-throw line, and had five turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game from his 9/1/7 clunker on Monday. Ellis’ fantasy value has dropped since he arrived in Milwaukee, but he’s still a solid source of points, assists and steals."

SLAM: Q+A: Goran ‘Dragon’ Dragic
"I like it. When I was in Phoenix, no one could pronounce my last name, Dragic, So Steve Nash called me The Dragon and that’s how I got my nickname. But at the same time, I come from small city called Ljubljana, and the logo for the city is a dragon, so it’s a perfect fit for me. There aren’t a lot of NBA players from my country, so for me, it’s something special. I’m really proud of my country and I’m proud to represent the dragon."